1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to insects traps, more particularly to devices for attracting, and trapping mosquitoes.
2. Description of Prior Art
Female mosquitoes bite human and pets and not only irritate them but also can be carriers of malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and West Nile fever.
To overcome the above troubles, mosquito coil, chemical repellant are utilized, but they are not effective in reducing population of mosquitoes in large numbers.
In order to reduce the population of mosquitoes, several trapping equipments are developed and commercialized such as trademark “MOSQUITO MAGNET.” MOSQUITO MAGNET attracts and catches flying mosquitoes by carbon dioxide in long distance, and by other chemical attractant in short distance. Other trapping equipments catch mosquitoes in a similar way. However, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,296 to Robert F. Mosher, II, MOSQUITO MAGNET itself is very expensive, and its running cost is also very high. Furthermore, MOSQUITO MAGNET needs special chemical attractant for Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) which transmits dengue fever virus.
Another type of mosquito trapping equipment is commercialized and named Black Hole. The equipment creates carbon dioxide by a photo-catalysis process and UV light, but trapping performance is poor as described by Cameron, A comparison of four commercially available adult mosquito traps, August 2005, pp 3.
There are several methods to create carbon dioxide. The first method is combustion of kerosene, the second one is combustion of liquefied propane, the third one is combustion of liquefied natural gas, the fourth one is fermentation of sugar, the fifth one is liquefied carbon dioxide, the sixth one is chemical reaction of acid with carbonate. Assuming that kerosene price for creation of 1 mol of carbon dioxide is 100, the liquefied propane is approximately 400, the liquefied natural gas is roughly 90, fermentation of sugar is 1,200, liquefied carbon dioxide is 1,000, the chemical reaction of foods grade citric acid with sodium bicarbonate is 9,200. Relatively, liquefied natural gas is inexpensive but it is based on LNG car gas station price and a small bottle is much expensive. Then, the kerosene is selected to create carbon dioxide for the present invention.
Several equipments are patented or Patent published. Equipment of U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,243 to Bruce E. Wigton et al has attractant exhaust system coupled to the carbon dioxide gas source. The present invention does not need any attractant other than carbon dioxide. This structural difference clearly distinguishes the present invention from the prior inventions.
Equipment of U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,296 to Robert F. Mosher, II does not have such a mosquito landing wall which is warmed up by combustion energy as a crucial element in the present invention. Thus, the prior invention is substantively different from the present invention.
Equipment of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0084604 by Emma A. Durand et al is a flying insect trapping one. Then, the prior invention has no such mosquito landing wall as the present invention has. This structural difference clearly distinguishes the present invention from the prior inventions.
As described by Osamu Araki, Science on a mosquito (in Japanese), 2007, pp 37 and 38, mosquitoes fly in long distance, searching for high concentration of carbon dioxide. Once they find a concentrated carbon dioxide area, they use their palps to sense heat to suck blood from mammals.